2012 was the only year I saw actual results from my New Years Resolution: take better care of my teeth. I had always been a pretty good dental patient, liking the fact that I could brag about never having a cavity more than actually caring about my teeth. I definitely had braces, easily blaming my mothers’ genes for those, and took them seriously (no gum, no gummies). However, my lack of flossing finally caught up with me in my early 20s and after a devastating visit to the dentist I was forced to hunker down and take my oral health seriously. During 2012 I developed a teeth routine, which has stuck to this day, involving a very specific mouthwash, my favorite kind of floss, and a medium-bristle toothbrush. My other resolutions from recent years have been well intentioned but haven’t seen the same long lasting results: get better at remembering people’s names, learn how to skateboard and make my bed every morning. This year, my resolution developed quite naturally during a chat with some dear friends on NYE: Indulge more in intentional artistic pursuits (aka take a ceramics class, or something).

At Pleasant Pops we’re constantly tweaking our systems, seeing room for improvement in all areas. However, the challenge of developing some actual resolutions for 2015 seemed like a fun and beneficial process. A project we’ve been working on and are getting ready to launch soon is to focus more on our coffee program. Though we love our standard drip coffee from Ceremony Coffee (we use the Brazil Cerrado Gold) we’re interested in offering some more variety to our customers. Soon we’ll start introducing a second, rotating drip coffee on weekday mornings and weekends, and hope to improve our coffee knowledge and language (why one roast might taste nutty, sweet, or tart). We’re hoping not only to educate ourselves but to share what we learn with our customers. We may be able to tell you the difference between a Cortado and a Macchiato, but wouldn’t it be awesome to know why someone might choose to drink one instead of the other? To know that Cortado means “to cut” the espresso, whereas Macciato means “to mark” the espresso…soon we’ll all be full of fun facts like that! Resolution 1: Improve our coffee game.

We’ve spent some time at Pleasant Pops sharing our personal resolutions with each other. Vickie has tasked herself with watching more movies Demetrius has recommend to her. Hannah has declared that she will focus on wasting less food at home, buying groceries more consciously. Ben is keeping it simple: “New Year, New Me”. I like them all. Maybe I’ll paint a painting about it soon.